HMSDingy

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

Yes, you do need to factor in the cost of the wine you are buying.  IDK your voyage itinerary, but bringing a couple of bottles back on per port is not a big deal - as long you you didn't have to lug them around all day.  I don't normally count on adding much more wine at ports.  Depends.

 

Your math was fine - we just don't drink the 6 drinks per day and don't do through a bottle of wine per day.  I also don't need to spend $50/btl if acquiring it off the ship.  Another factor is if your dining habit is to get the same table and waiters for each night, you may find you are not charged corkage all the time.  Two bottles are free for the cabin, but once opened can also go to dinner. 

 

All that said, you are well within making the PLUS work for you.

 

Okay.  Enjoy!  Don't forget, you can buy it on board if having Medallions picked up at port works for you.  You will get a $10 rebate.  If you buy insurance, you save the insurance on the Plus cost.  OBC will cover at least some of the Plus cost.

I should have looked at what we get with the Plus Beverage Package which is included and there are a lot of items that we would normally buy like the specialty coffees and teas, to name a few. I'll probably just add it our our cruise fare seeing that Princess has a favourable CAD to US exchange rate.I also forgot to factor in the 18% gratuities for the drinks and wine we purchase.  All told, what we would spend vs the Plus, the Plus comes up on top because of the extras. In any case, our cruise is in August of 2024 we still have plenty of time to mull it over.

26 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

And it includes tips and wifi

It includes the Plus Beverage Package which right there will save us on our cocktails and drinks as well as beer for myself. I think in the end, it will work for us.

5 minutes ago, voljeep said:

where is the cost and the hassle of bringing 20 bottles of wine onboard?

Not really a hassle but you're right about the cost. The Plus gives me a 25% off on wine per bottle even at that. it may be more expensive. I would calculate $1000 for the wine based on an average price of $50 per bottle x 20 days, plus CA and maybe 4 drinks per day @$15 for $60 x 20 = $1200, which gives me the same total. With Plus, I would have to add on the cost of wine and at 25% less, about $750 to add on to the $2400.

On 8/16/2023 at 4:14 PM, Steelers36 said:

And if do not BYOW on the cruise.

I re-calculated and Plus might just work for us. As I've stated before, we always have a bottle of wine at dinner and pre-dinner cocktails along with a drink or two in the evenings. If I'm allowed to pick up wine at all of the ports, then all I would have to pay is the corkage fee. But even at that, I'll probably pass the $2400 we would pay for a 20 day cruise. Correct me if I'm wrong, and my new calculations don't even include wi-fi and the extras, but my calculations would be:

CA = 32/day x 20 = $640

corkage on 20 bottles of wine = 20 x $20 = $400

drinks = ~6/day @$15 = $90 x 20 = $1800

Total = $2840

I also may not always pick up bottles ashore and that would raise the amount close to $3000. 

16 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Following up, here is a math example for someone like us who don't spend much on bar and other things. 

 

Another big factor for us is that we get a free mini-bar in the cabin due to being Elite and that gives me 10 beers and 10 Perrier (after swapping items).  So, you can see this is a beverage supply at no cost.

 

Crew Appreciation (CA) = $32 x 10 = $320

Internet = $15 x 10 = $150 (this is because we get is at half price being Elite level - your cost is double)

Ocean Now = $0 (We would get our own things from bar of food venue and not wait for it to come and them to find us)

Room Service = $0 (Never used it before and wouldn't now)

Casual Dining = $34 (we would typically go to Alfredo's/Gigi's a couple of times.  I suppose I might have a special burger if it was available on my ship and I would certainly try O'Malley's once.  But we would never order a 3-course meal for lunch).  If a ship we were on had all of these, bump this up to $50 to be safe.

Juice Bar = $18 (guessing - might try it if a drink appealed)

Ice Cream Sundaes = $0

Gelato = $8

Bar Drinks = $20 max

 

Total for a 10-night voyage = ~$550.

Plus for 10-night voyage = $1,200.

 

Balance for bar tab = $1,200 - $550 = ~$650.  Per day = $65.

 

We would not spend $65/day on wine and drinks.  If I was buying wine on board, I would purchase bottles and one bottle last us two days certainly.  This is us - not anyone else necessarily.

 

That said, I do bring on a supply of wine whenever possible for me to do so.  There is a $20 corkage fee beyond the first two bottles (1/pp) and I am aware of what Princess menu prices are compared to retail plus the corkage.  I have also found I am not always charged corkage.

 

So, this is one example and you can do your own figuring based on what you guys like to drink.

Thanks for the detailed response. In our case we are booked on a 20 day cruise and by taking Plus our calculations would be double your amounts with also have $65 left over per day

The difference for us is that we always have a bottle of wine at dinner and the current Princess price lists have the cheapest wine at $45 which leaves us $20 per day. Even if we buy bottles at the various ports, we're still paying the corkage fee of $20 for $45 left over. We're not heavy drinkers but we usually have a cocktail before dinner and I like to occasionally have a beer with my lunch.  

I don't think the ls would work for us.

On 8/9/2023 at 8:33 PM, Outerdog said:

You can totally just stick it in your pocket. Depending on what you wear, your pockets might be loose and the little Medallion could slip out. So you might consider a little AirTag holder made of a rubbery type material. I use this one for just that purpose. Has a little clip too. 8 bucks.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096SC71KR/

 

 

$15 for us Canadians.

3 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

just be aware that princess hotel prices are "per person"....

Then I'll go with booking on my own. I also find it ridiculous to price this way. Every time I've booked hotels, it's per room, rarely per person unless it's an all inclusive resort. 

For our European cruise next year, I checked decent hotels in Barcelona pre-cruise and the best I could find was at 105 €. To that I would have to add about 40 € per trip to and from our hotel. That would make it roughly 185 € which will probably change the closer we get to our cruise. On the Princess website, they have a hotel in Barcelona priced at $209 US which includes transfers. If I factor in the current exchange rates to compare the fares in CAD, we're looking at $271.95 for booking ourselves and $280.06 booking with Princess. If Princess keeps these rates, then I'd book with Princess. 

I booked my 2024 cruise with a TA I've used before and not only did ee get the cabin we wanted but was able to get a better one at a later date.

I've seen a similar thread but the last entry was in 2014. We're booked on the Island Princess and have a "bumped" balcony cabin on deck 12. Has anyone had such a cabin and what is your experience. I've seen exterior images of our cabin & it doesn't have a covering and in full view of your neighbours who aren't bump.

I'd be curious to know if trip interruption covers an relative at home becoming gravely ill and having to return home. My MIL is 86  and in relatively good health but one never knows.

We've booked a Europe cruise in August of 2024 and I hear that Canadians now need a travel authorization to travel to most European countries. Anyone else hear of this?

20 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

It’s $25 for cruises 13 days in or less, or $15 otherwise.  Here is info about it

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/activity-types/dining/club-orange/Club_Orange_Benefits.pdf

On our next cruise in 2024 the prepaid onboard gratuities are in Canadian funds and come out cheaper if we were to pay in US onboard. Even though the US dollars fluctuates daily, the amount on the Princess website doesn't seem to change.

Last time we sailed was in 2019 and are have booked on a Europe cruise on the Oosterdam in September of 2024. Our last cruise in 2019 was with HAL and I don't recall if there was a formal night. Is there one and how strict are they on the type of clothing?

We booked a Europe cruise for September 2024 with this promo and got a midship balcony for a pretty good price. Worse case scenario, if we cancel, we lose a whole $2.

19 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry, but not exactly as the Plus costs almost $77.  Crew Incentive is $16 for most cabins.

 

PASS 1        $77 + $16 = $93

PASS 2         $16          = $16

TOTAL                          = $109

 

PLUS for PASS 1 & 2 = $120

 

So, I do disagree with your proposition.  Are you seriously suggesting $11 is enough to make the choice you suggest?  There really is no circumstance the standalone beverage package is a good idea.  It is highly unlikely such a scenario exists that it is not worth consideration IMO.   If one is also a savvy cruiser, they will be booking with a TA that discounts the cruise fare in some manner and that $120 ought to cost under $109.

 

 

 

I appreciate all of the info but DW and I are Italian and we always have a bottle of wine with our meals. Our next cruise is for 20 days & if we factor in a bottle a day with the current average price of $50 per bottle that's a cool $1000 not including any cocktails we will probably have. We're still thinking about it.  But although booked, we have a plan B with HAL and they offer wine packages at affordable prices. We have a refundable deposit so no worries there as we might have a family do we can't get out of at the time of our cruise with Princess.  The HAL cruise we MIGHT change to is for 18 days and their wine packages would cost us $500 for 16 bottles. There's always the fact that we're allowed to bring a bottle each onboard & pay the corkage fee, Then maybe buy a bottle at each port we visit and just pay the corkage. I know that decent wines are fairly inexpensive in Europe as I have family there. I realize that this might seem to be apples to oranges for some and I apologize for going on & on.

Just now, Steelers36 said:

The point was not whether to have an all-inclusive package or not. Your original post discussed purchasing the standalone beverage package - not the Plus fare option.

 

The point was it would be wrong to purchase the stand-alone beverage packages over the Cruise Fare Plus package due to simple cost effectiveness.

 

We don't purchase the Plus or Premier option as it doesn't work for us.  Sounds like you are the same, but were at least looking into it.

Right you are sir. Most of the extras in these options we wouldn't use so its a mute option for us. Too bad Princess doesn't have wine packages as some of the other lines do. Our last cruise was with HAL and they offer a wine package. 

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Sure.

Sorry if I didn't ask this before or even searched it, but how much is the corkage fee?

13 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Probably a typo as the free limit is 1 bottle per guest.  You can also bring another one or two bottles on at a port stop and they don't bat and eye.

Does that mean I can pick up bottles at each port we stop at? 

13 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You do NOT!!! want to be doing this!!!  

 

Are you aware of the Cruise Fare options of Plus Fare and Premier Fare?  These are the ways to go because you are just throwing money away to buy the separate beverage package.

 

You can add the Plus or Premier FARE package to your booking pre-cruise or purchase it on-board on Day 1. 

 

PLUS is $60/pp/day and Premier is $80/pp/day.  The Cruise Fare package includes Crew Appreciation and MedallionNet (internet access for 1-device each at a time).

 

Don't even think about purchasing the standalone drink packages.

Ok but my booked cruise would go up by about $2000 CAD at $60 US per day. The cruise we're booked is for 20 days. I'm just interested in having bottled wine with my supper, as we did in the past on our other Princess cruises.

If I understand it correctly, the Premier Package at $84.99/day for a 20 day cruise would total $1700. What if you only want a wine package, does Princess have one?

1 minute ago, marazul said:

I  hope you meant you are staying in Rome one day ahead of the cruise. One day after the cruise will not help you getting to the ship on the first day of the cruise. Your arrival plan relies on a lot of wishful thinking and luck. 

Yes, sorry, typed too fast.

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I will answer your question with a question.  What will you do if your flight is 3 hours late?  Assuming your flight is from Canada, it is not that unusual for flight to be delayed, sometimes for many hours.  Another issue is your luggage?  If your luggage misses your flight and shows up on the next flight....hmm.  To put this in perspective, even if your flight is exactly on time you may not get your luggage until about 11:30.  You will than need to get to the port and that takes up to an hour.  So, if things go almost perfectly, you should arrive at your ship around 12:30.  

 

There is a reason why most seasoned cruisers fly-in at least one day early (when going to Europe we generally go several days early.  You are leaving yourself almost no margin for error.  Another reason we like to fly-in days early is for the peace of mind (and lack of any anxiety).  And flying into Rome a few days early is not a bad thing as Rome is worthy of at least a few pre-cruise days.

 

So my advice is that you should have a "Plan B" in your mind just in case you do miss your cruise.  Plan B will be how (and when you will catch up to your ship at one of the following ports.  

 

Hank

As usual your answers are spot on. We'll fly in a day earlier and stay in Rome pre-cruise. That's what we do for all of our cruises regardless of the departure port. I was just curious and apologize for wasting people's time. Thanks Hank, much appreciated..

14 hours ago, marazul said:

That's nuts.

Yes it is, that's why we plan on staying in Rome for one day after our cruise.